Feeling nostalgic towards 2000s and early 2010s anime

Okay so I feel super nostalgic for 2000s and early 2010s anime for some reason. It makes no sense because I started watching anime from 2020.

Whenever I watch something like Steins;Gate, Code Geass or any anime of that era, I just get the feels. That r/anime core, that weeby feeling when you were one of the rare ones to watch anime. The YouTube era, downloading episodes, discussing in chat rooms because no one you knew irl watched anime...

Help me understand this feeling. Also would love recommendations that bring out this feeling.

P.S. It's not cuz of previous life or some shi cuz I was born in 2007

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Commentaires

Vast-Coffee-70582026-01-28 16:18

A Certain Scientific Railgun

A Certain Magical Index

Sound! Euphonium

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki

War on Geminar

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:25

Thank you!

Smooth_Mushroom64632026-01-28 16:18

Hmm, i felt that for long time but i was born 1982, when i saw dbz, saint seiya , yu yu hakusho or something like that i would very miss because those was my childhood.

Xbox360isthegoat2026-01-28 16:32

For real

LongjumpingShip36572026-01-28 16:20

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:25

Thanks a lot!

darth_rand2026-01-28 18:17

This is the answer

Zerg0062026-01-28 20:47

God take me back to that era. When every anime convention was filled with Haruhi dances

yeenevalose2026-01-28 16:29

Kino no tabi 2003

Mushishi

Hellsing 2001

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:33

Thanks!

russianoatmeal2026-01-28 16:33

What a mood.

Might have something to do with how rapid things have changed in the last 6 or 7 years. The covid anime boom was real but anime was becoming more mainstream in western media even before that. I feel like, in someways because it’s gotten so big it’s more socially accepted but it’s lost that sense of…community? Connection?

I’d also blame the anime industry for the change in vibes because those older anime were made and were used to push manga sales. Now anime is made with the intention of selling figures or merch.

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:40

True!

SouekiSennoSTM2026-01-28 16:42

I think it has to do moreso with which time period the anime you either first watched and/or which are your favorites and resonated with you the most emotionally come from, as well as which period of time in your own life you have the most sentimentality, nostalgia, and attachment toward, which influences this feeling. Rather than when you began watching anime.

Like I began in 2016 but didn't start with seasonal newer series until several years later and so especially in the first few years was watching a lot of 2000s and some early 2010s series. And the 2000s is still my favorite decade for anime by far and four of my top five are 2000s series.

In actual life in the 2000s, I was alive for the whole decade but had no knowledge of or interest in anime at that time, so there is a fun kind of "retroactive nostalgia" when first discovering and watching series from this period and thinking about where I was physically/mentally in my own life when they were first releasing.

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:45

My first anime were the Ghibli movies so I get your point. But my top 10 anime series has series spread out in terms of airing date.

Fine_Tension28762026-01-28 16:43

Im just 16y but I was introduced to anime soooo early
- Macross Plus
- Gundam Wings
- The vision of Escaflowne
- Evangelion
- Akira
- Mai - Otome
- fate series

All because my uncle spend so much time watching these that I sat next to him every time I could. He opened this door to me ever since I'm a kid and anime is now part of my life. In my short 16y I consider myself lucky cause ive seen a huge amount of shows.

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:45

Thank you! Your uncle is a W fr

Fine_Tension28762026-01-28 16:49

My mom used to scream at my uncle cause I was watching the devils work 😅 and my uncle would shut her up and keep me next to him all in silence and not one word was ever said. He enjoyed it so much but didn't want people to know he did. 🫶

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:51

Haha, your Mom probably meant good for you but man your uncle is goated

Fine_Tension28762026-01-28 16:54

You know what I honestly think it all depends on each kid and his personality. Like some shows i was able to watch them with my 7y old sister and i know for a fact I can't when my lil brother hits the same age because of the way he is overall.

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:55

True

komata_kya2026-01-28 16:52

Anime today is not special anymore. It has lost most of its core community, or they got dilluted with the explosion of its popularity. Anime releases are a lot more soulless too as they are made available by a corporation instead of fans who really cared.

As something becomes more and more popular, the general quality of the community of that thing becomes worse and worse, more nothing like. It will lose its speciality.

SadAnimator13542026-01-28 16:54

Yes, I feel that too

Mr_Rock-haley2026-01-29 04:14

>Anime today is not special anymore.

>Anime releases are a lot more soulless

>corporation instead of fans who really cared.

Are you referring to the greedy work of Crunchyroll, Amazon, and others? Or are you referring to something else?

Swiggy19572026-01-29 07:09

I believe they are talking about the unethical method anime is being made these days to appease Western audiences. Prior to that, anime was geared towards the Japanese audience.

A common thing I don't see anymore is the home entryway shoe scene. A person comes into the home, off goes their shoes. They leave, on goes their street shoes with that final toe tap to guatentee they're snug. When I started watching anime a decade ago, it was common. It impressed me that the animators would go that e tra step to showcase everyday Japanese life.

Ginsan-AK2026-01-29 08:44

>I believe they are talking about the unethical method anime is being made these days to appease Western audiences. Prior to that, anime was geared towards the Japanese audience.

I remember when The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi, K-On, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, Clannad, Angel Beats, Oreimo, Shakugan no Shana, Monogatari series were the type of shows that were popular from Japan.. nowadays all you see are battle shonen like Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, MHA, Chainsaw Man, Solo Leveling.

[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1q0z5g3/comment/nx21ra8/?context=3) is 5ch's top 30 anime list, apparently they have a list every year since 2001, it's not the 100% accurate list of what Japan likes, but it's probably the closest to it, and I find myself having taste closer to the Japanese than the mainstream anime nowadays. I definitely wouldn't find Sumomomo momomo as the 12th favorite anime from 2006, or True Tears as the 3rd favorite anime of 2008, or Kyoukaisenjou no Horizon as the 8th favorite anime of 2011, or Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun as the 3rd favorite anime of 2014 from a list made by Western audience.

komata_kya2026-01-29 10:01

More to the distribution side. Now you have simulcast and official licensing. Anime is available with a click of a button easily like any other western media, as opposed to you having to go to various fansubbers personal websites and getting it from there. This again, makes it less special.

But what others said is also true. They try to make it appeal to everyone, rather than only for the japanese, at least for the really popular ones.

Humg122026-01-29 08:45

I hate so much how subs have shifted to cater to a more general (and American) audience. Watching the new Ginpachi-sensei just wasn't the same as the old Gintama.

pearbehr2026-01-28 17:14

I'm currently watching .hack//Sign (2002). Would recommend it.

brickhouseboxerdog2026-01-28 17:17

Anime had like this moe jump in 06, 07, it changed from like cowboy bebop to clannad like overnight. I started drawing hard-core in 05, so like when that style change happened I really went hard on it. I keep my style purposely 2008/9

emeraldarcana2026-01-28 17:19

You get a lot more anime now vs the 2000s.

In the 2000s if you wanted to watch a show you had to scour torrent sites and p2p file shares, figure out what people were actually watching, learn how to apply fansub files, and then wrangle and hope that the series wasn’t going to suddenly get dropped by the community translating it (especially if it got licensed). And if it got licensed then you had to pay $30 an episode for the DVD. And there was a lot of slop that no one ever watched because it wasn’t good enough to get a fansub or a license.

Now it’s just “press play on the streaming app”.

Different age!

PracticalMarsupial2026-01-29 03:23

You had to make sure you had the correct video codecs, and hopefully you could find something that wasn't a .rm file! VLC was eventually the lifesaver.

spacespaghetti962026-01-28 17:20

Some of my favorites with the classic early and mid 00s art style/feel include:

- Code Geass (action, drama, mecha)
- Ouran High School Host Club (comedy, romance)
- Soul Eater (action, school)
- Death Note (psychological, horror, mystery)
- Nana (music, drama, romance)
- Witch Hunter Robin (gothic, magic, fantasy)
- Darker than Black (action, super powers)

And of course the GOAT Fullmetal Alchemsit Brotherhood (action, drama)

TheBusStop122026-01-28 17:54

I can highly recommend

- Zenshu

- Kowloon Generic Romance

These are both modern anime from last year that deliberately pay homage to the style and vibe of 90's/2000's anime

Zenshu is a love letter to older anime and takes place in the world of a 2007 anime movie that flopped at the box office. It uses an older Isekai structure more akin to Escaflowne or Spirited Away, which is different from the post Sword Art Online Isekai which are common nowadays

Kowloon Generic Romance reminds me of a mix of Steins Gate, Blade Runner and Matrix in both pacing, story and lore. It's art style and character design is also very reminiscent of 90's and 2000's anime. Nostalgia is a big theme

ProfessionalRandom212026-01-28 20:10

Full metal panic,

i didnt even watch it as a kid but the song and watching it feels super nostalgic

gorambrowncoat2026-01-28 21:58

"Help me understand this feeling"

Anime used to be better .. sort of but not really.

When you are looking at modern anime you are typically looking at the current offer. Whatever is in the current season. The peak, the mid, the trash. Its a little bit of peak, mostly mid and a few trash.

When you are looking at 2000s anime you are typically looking at what survived and remained in the conversation since. You are subconsciously comparing the peak of a decade to everything of the current cour. This is not a fair comparison.

Take whatever 2000s anime that you found on some top 10 list or recommendations post, go to its MAL entry and click on its season. You will find a few good shows, and a lot of forgotten mid or trash shows.

Its certainly possible to have a subjective preference for a certain era. I certainly have my own anime periods that I hold above others. This can be based on genre prominence agreeing with your preference, dominant esthetics being more to your likings, dominant themes being more in your wheelhouse etc etc. Its not wrong to prefer a certain moment in anime, wether its now or 30 years ago. However when you look at it objectively the amount of peak shows each year do not vary all that much. There might be the odd highlight or lowpoint season but there isn't a clear "peak anime decade".

DarthJarJar1592026-01-28 22:32

Im 100% serious... Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z. Pokemons seasons w ash ketchum and movies like pokemon 2000 hit it. Also, while we're at it watch the transformers animated series.

Ginsan-AK2026-01-29 08:47

I had so much fun with Pokemon from OG all the way up to the end of Diamond & Pearl (Sinnoh), genuinely good anime.

BasketballAndroid72026-01-28 23:11

Kimagure Orange Road.

It's from 1987 (a bit outside of your range but still), if you can get over the (lack of) animation, it's an absolute mood. At the very least, try the openings. That does it for me (born in '92).

Alt22212026-01-28 23:25

From the new World (2012) Fantasy, Drama - 25 eps

Red Data Girl (2013) supernatural - 12 eps

Darker than Black (2007) sci fi - 37 eps

Gundam 00 (2007) Mecha - 50 eps

8th MS Team (1996) Mecha - 12 eps

Cross Ange (2014) sci fi - 25 eps

The Irregular at Magic High School (2014) action - 50 eps

jaesuk972026-01-28 23:44

These all evoke some nostalgia for 2000s Japan.

Manabi Straight

Lucky Star

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Ichigo Mashimaro

Pani Poni Dash

Tokyo Godfathers

Genshiken

Binzume Yousei

Popotan

Hefty-Paper86442026-01-29 03:17

I’ve been watching anime since the 90s mostly due to Cartoon Network/toonami and pretty much grew up in that era of anime. .hack/sign, Big O, Cardcaptors,etc were all shows I’d watch after school in the afternoons back in the early 2000s on Cartoon Network and I was in high school in the early 2010s and went through teenage hood during that era of anime. That being said I do notice the decline in quality in the 2020s era tho.
Recommendations:
Coppelion,
Durarara,
Setokai yakuindomo,
Accel world,
Sankarea,
Working!,
My little monster

Ginsan-AK2026-01-29 08:04

The 2000's was the magical era for me, it just had that magic that makes you want to continue watching the next episode after you just finished one. You hear many stories from old heads who were able to binge 50 episodes in one day back then, but could barely finish 3 in a row nowadays.

I am not sure what gave that era that type of magic, maybe it's the style of animation, the style of directing, maybe it's the type of story, or maybe it's the music, or perhaps it's the combination of all of that, who knows.